Every question deserves personal attention. To provide good advice, but also to provide clarity about how we work, you can read here how we handle your question. If you have any questions about this, ask us!
Stap 1 - Personal advice
Since you are contacting Huurteam Goirle, you probably have a question or problem that you need help with. Whether you have reached us via email, our contact form or by telephone, we will start by mapping the situation. For this we often need certain information, such as your rental contract or conversations between you and your landlord. Based on this, we can assess the feasibility of the case and give you personal advice about the possible options.
If the situation is difficult to explain, we can also speak by telephone. This is often enough to help you further. If there is more to the matter, we will schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss your question in more detail.
Step 2 – Make a follow-up appointment or plan a home visit
If more clarity is needed about your question, we can plan a home visit. This especially applies to questions about procedures for rent reduction, all-in prices and maintenance defects in the living space.
During the home visit we can use a rental price check to estimate whether you are paying too much. In the Netherlands, the maximum reasonable basic rent is legally regulated via a points system (WWS). A home receives points for, among other things, surface area, facilities and amenities. This total of points determines the maximum basic rent for your living space.
We also check for maintenance defects for which you may be able to receive a rental discount if the landlord does not repair them (in a timely manner).
Step 3 – Notify the landlord
In almost all procedures it is necessary that the landlord is informed of the findings of Huurteam Goirle. This is called a request or objection. Depending on the procedure, the landlord has a period of 2 weeks to 2 months to respond to this.
During this period we try to play a mediating role between you and the landlord, so that you remain out of the discussion as much as possible. Our goal is to reach a settlement through mediation that is acceptable to all parties. Sometimes this does not work and we still have to take the step to the Rent Tribunal.
Step 4 – Going to the Rent Tribunal
If problems cannot be resolved in consultation with the landlord, a procedure with the Rent Tribunal can provide a solution. The Rent Tribunal, an independent body established by the Dutch government, can make statements about the amount of your rent, the settlement of service costs and maintenance defects in your living space. The Rent Tribunal may make binding statements about the legal context of the problems you raise.
During this process we will keep you informed of every development and we will also try to reach a settlement with the landlord.
Step 5 – Finalizing your question and/or procedure
If we can reach an agreement with the landlord, we will draw up a settlement agreement for you. This gives you proof of the agreement between you and the landlord, something you can refer to later.
If a procedure turns out to be necessary, a decision will be made by the Rent Tribunal after a while. This ruling is binding for the landlord.
